Correct me if I am wrong, but if you are a reporter wouldn't you want to talk to people who know what they are talking about if you intend to write an article? I take it Mr. Cringely would think someone working in marketing would be a better person to ask about computer security than the people who are actually in charge of security. Or how about asking Walt the school janitor how to teach a class on physics?
To quote Ambrose Bierce: "Reporter, n. A writer who guesses his way to the truth and dispels it with a tempest of words"
... and when you come in, though. I signed on with M1 when they were still "Highway One", while I was living in Watertown. Back then there was hardly anyone on my node and I was getting 120-200k downloads from a decent server. When I downloaded the Myth demo when it was first available (a 40mb file) I did it in less than 10 min.
When I was in that town, since it was one of the first to have access, they were getting the newest upgrades and well maintained lines. Now I live in Arlington, and I may have to cancel my M1 account until they make some changes. The set up in this town is really new but they just loaded it up with members, so download speeds and browsing is about the same as a 33.6. The other day I downloaded a system update from one of Apple's servers and the best I got was 4k. I mean, even when Apple's FTP site is way overloaded I used to get better speeds than that.
For $50 a month, 4-10k download is really not worth it.
Other than that, I have really liked my cable access with M1. Some of their tech people are about as sharp as a marble, but the few times that I have had to deal with them they have been polite and take care of things well.
I am the proud papa of a 4 month old girl, and when she is old enough to go to school, and IF someone thinks they are making her wear a *!$&!! bar code they will be sorely mistaken, and severly beaten.
Now, don't get me wrong, I think schools should have better security. I went to middle school in Roxbury (part of Boston) and high school right in the center of the city. We had cases of people (teachers and students) getting shot, stabbed, beaten, etc. Hell, we even had a girl willingly gang banged in the mens room. BUT, that does not make the turning of students into "numbers" or some crap like that Okie-dokie. Metal detectors, sure. ID's with a picture, fine. But a bloody Barcode?!?!?!
...have a word that, IMO, best describe Dvorak. That word, and please pardon any spelling error, is "pillock".
I would as soon accept his opinion or advice on computer related issues as tips on lovemaking from a eunuch.
Sorry for my being obnoxious, everyone. I just really have never read anything by this guy that has seemed the least bit interesting and in many cases his "facts" are opinion.
With me now, people: T-D-OUS!! Can I get an a-MEN from you now!!
Seriously though, this Anti Online thing is such a gas, but is becoming such a bore.
John How-ever-you-spell-it has a site which is also a business. When you are a business the idea is to make money, and make money well. OK, now, how to make money in the computer/internet security arena? Two simple ways; get those people with the bucks to back you and lose the competition.
Q) How do you get those with the big bucks, when corporate America is scared out of it's Armani suits by even the word "Hacker"?
A) First, start offering your information and special privileges to those with some of the biggest budgets (i.e..gov,.mil, anyone who can spend $150 for a hammer) and make yourself look as good as you can. And nothing perks up the American public's ears like patriotism. With Anti Online only offering it's information database to.gov or.mil or whatever, it makes them look very good in the eye's of the public (they are helping our government fight back against those cyber terrorists) and in the eye's of investors.
Q) How do you lose the competition?
A) Look at what has been going on. Any site which offers the same or similar information is being systematically hunted and if possible, eventually, killed. I mean, I'm willing to bet that much of the texts and exploits found at Attrition.org are the same as what is found at Anti Online (although I'm sure that the picture of the guy who hunted Santa ain't there! Nearly busted a gut on that:) . But those naughty boys and girls at Attrition.org are offering this information to anyone while Anti Online only offers the information to people who would never ever ever ever think of using that information illegally.
Now, I may be off here by miles, but if I wanted to make money from information the best way to do that is to sell that information. So I start off giving the information out to a select few for free, then when there is no one else (or no one else who is any good) offering the same information I start selling it to those who are willing to pay. And if you are the only game in town, well, you charge what you like.
In all honesty, I have nothing against John or Anti Online per se. As a matter of fact, that site and it's "guide to mostly harmless hacking" were where I got my feet wet with Linux and the inner workings of computers. It was with that sites information that I made my current choice of Linux flavor, Debian. But his actions over the last six months have really begun to bug the hell out of me, and to make his motives suspect.
Whatever his rational, IMO he would be much better off just sticking to being an information repository (open to everyone, I might add) and being an information portal. Leave the cracker chasing to the feds, and leave the competition alone.
Actually, if I were the owner of Attrition, I'd do one plain and simple thing. Just say "John, you and me, in a ring, no gloves, no ref. Whoever is left standing keeps the site up, whoever is knocked out pulls the site". But then again I am a barbarian, so I'll just drag my knuckles to the kitchen for a beer and shut up.
"After the page you look above, are not current not attainable. The web site could find technical difficulties, or their data base search routine adjustments preserve, around you to adjust to have."
Sorry, but as long as I'm going to try to view that story with Babelfish (and then have the page not able to load) I figured I'd mess around.
"This marajuana went on the right to my header text, Geck. Stop this bonggehen!"
But, I have to say that I have very little pity for the kid. How many times have you seen sites where they say "Oh, the files are not here on my servers. I only link to them." Like Lycos and MusicSeek say that they don't have the files there, that they only link to them after you search. You know what? I don't have to leave those sites to download files which are copyrighted, I put in my keyword and search. As far as the user is concerned, the files are downloaded right from those sites. This whole "I'm only linking" bull is no excuse, if you link to the file deliberately or help someone obtain illegal product you are in the wrong and you are an accomplice to the distribution of "stolen" material.
IMHO it's like giving someone the name and address of a fence and letting them use my phone to make the deal and my garage for the purchase. Would the cops give a rats rectum if I was not the one who stole the product? Heeeeeeell know. To me, this is the same type of situation. This kid (and don't get me wrong, I do pity the dude, just not much) was knowingly directing visitors to copyrighted files.
Now, if I link to a site that then links to a site for downloading an illegal file, sure, there is no reason to sue. But none of the sites which my sites link to direct the user to anything illegal, and I check that sort of thing. If a webmaster wants to, hell, be my guest. But if you link to illegal shit and you do it on purpose, and someone sues, busts, or otherwise comes after your butt, you bring the karma on yourself.
Anyhow, rant rant rant, I'll shut up and drink my beer.
But don't products used by.mil and.gov have to be something called "orange booked" or something like that? I really haven't followed that sort of thing, but I could swear I read something about a list of prducts that are OK'd for use by them.
I didn't say that was how we were sending email. What was sent was a first draft of a legal document, which required the use of several types of formating.
See, now this is what I'm on about. Why do you feel the need to be all jumping on my case? I mean for real, I know that there are a lot of morons on the web, right? If there was a better option (i.e. more commonly used) we'd be all over it.
And not without reason, certainly. OK, here is another problem with a Microsoft product, big shock. Hotmail had a "back door", no kidding.
BUT, that does not give anyone the right to be pricks.
Someone I work with was just flamed by another person to whom my co worker had sent a document in an M$ format. The recipient was a Linux user, and the only geeks my co worker has encountered were me and the geeks here (i.e. some laid back MFs)
For many of us there is no alternative, we have to be compatible with other businesses. Yes, there are products that will open Word/Excel documents, but going back again is not always easy. Any of you ever try to open a Claris document in Word 98 on a Mac? It gets all buggered up.
Spreading the Linux/Unix gospel would be _much_ easier without people being smeg heads about it when someone uses a different platform. You want a Mac? Be my guest. You think Win98/NT is the bees knees? Knock yourself out. You want a powerful, stable
All we do when we flame people for standing up for M$ or using their products is make the Linux/Unix community look bad, like childish, bad tempered simpletons. It is counter productive to flame, mail bomb, or crack someone for using or liking another product.
Here is a neat idea. Before you write that flame, pretend that person is right in front of you. Or better yet, remember that it makes YOU look bad.
*rant mode cancel*
Sorry, I just don't understand why people who would otherwise be perfectly polite and cool suddenly become total a**holes over really stupid smeg.
But I do have an old Mac IIci that was "beefed" up (remember when 24mb of RAM was so big your friends would all come over to dig your set up?). Maybe I'll tinker with FreeBSD 68k, and maybe try it on one of the x86 boxes here at work.
Not to start a debate or flame war, but for anyone who's used *BSD and Linux why do you prefer one over the other? Or the particular distribution of either that you use? I've only had experience with Debian (which I have read is more secure and I use more often)and RH (the first one I tried, mega mega easy to install and configure), and a weeeeeee bit on LinuxPPC.
Blaming IS managers is not entirely fair. Many do still have to answer to someone higher up, and if the CEO of a company wants all his sales weasels on Win9x... *shrug*
Blaming the sales weasels who open Word files with macros, now that is more reasonable.
I thought I had read something about this but for the MP2K and the Pilot?
I could be wrong. Mountain Dew has been known to cause hallucinations if you drink it by the gallon =)
Re:Tech support for my underwear(underware?)
on
Wearable PCs
·
· Score: 1
"Well, when I try to reboot my underwear, it just gives me a wedgie."
"What OS are you running on your underware, sir?"
"Microsoft Windows for Cotton Blends"
"Well, sir, the only solution is to change your underwear to MS-NTLongJohns"
"But it's the middle of August, and we're in the middle of a heat wave. Also, I don't think I need all of that fabric"
"I realize that Sir. But the NTLongJohns are the only version of MS-underpants what don't give you a wedgie. And you're much less likely to suffer the terrible blue-ball of death with these than with the MS-Underoos95. The NTLongJohns also come with a convenient back-orifice flap for examining core-dumps."
"Wow, that does sound... oh ohhhh ohhh S*&T!!!"
"Sir? Sir? Are you still there, Sir?"
"Je-ZUS! My underware were still connected to the phone line... I think my wife just faxed my willie to Canada...."
"Oh dear..."
"What the fsck?? Now my underwear's crashed and my nuts have turned blue!"
But this all just seems so screwy. I mean, sure they have plenty of cash so they can buy the best crack, but that would still not explain why the US gov would pull some smeg like this. What they are talking about is tantamount to reading your posted (USPS) mail (which they would/never/ do *snicker*) . Most Americans would not stand for that, so what makes them think that they could get away with it?
Honestly, I think President Trouser Drop and VP Gore (a man so boring he's been voted more tedious airline in flight magazines) are up to something.
Think about it. Gore wants to be president, but he is so mind numbingly uninteresting and is almost, but not quite, entirely without anything which could be construe as charisma and all the charm of lint. His last bid for president was comical at best. So how does he get to be top banana? I mean, Bill went after the GenX vote with success, but Gore would have no chance there with all Tippers efforts at censoring the music industry. So what does he do? He goes after the Geek vote. I mean, he did create the internet, didn't he?
Now, he also wants to distance himself politically from Bill while keeping presidential backing. Not that many people could imagine Gore finding new and better ways to store tobacco products, but he has to make voters see that he is his Own Man. So he can't go dissing the president, but he has to do something that will distinguish himself from Bill. So what do they do? They hatch this gig where the federal government starts talking about email taxes, snooping email, tracking you while you are on the internet. You know, things they would never do without telling us first (*guffaw*snort*shortle*).
Then, who steps up to bat for the geeks, but our Great Savior, a man who we owe more to than Tim B. Lee, a man who will stand up for what he believes in, a man of integrity. Yes, HE will fight to make sure that the internet remains free. Free? Free how? Who cares? He'll keep those pesky feds from reading our email. And what happens? Election day, geeks en masse turn out to vote in greater numbers than the opening of a new Star Trek/Wars movie, and Captain Charisma is our next president.
Well, I've ranted enough. I have to adjust the tinfoil on my head to transmit my brain waves to Pluto, and finish reading this book on how aliens, Masons, and circus midgets were all behind the Kennedy assassinations.
BTW, I do apologize to anyone who reads this who likes Bill and Al. I just find this whole thing rather stupid. That, and I don't trust any politician as far as I can spit a rat:-?
and NOT hit a portal or a search engine, so I must disagree. You may not have seen any of the internet advertising trade rags, but look at http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/ctf519.htm for a good article on the subject.
Unless you can spend the $$$ on an inside sales team to bring in the ad dollars another portal is a bad idea. Most internet users have become savvy enough to not use them OR already have their favorite and pass that information on to those friends/family who are newbies. If you look at how many portals have sprung up over the last year only to vanish or be abandoned, you'll see that it is a lot more than Database + CGI scripts = Money (and marketing). OK, so you market like crazy, bring in the eyeballs, but how do you keep them at the site and keep them/coming/ to the site? How do you get those who have been to the site to come back regularly? How do you know your audience?
/. is a prime example of a site which could be/is a success. Marketing/bringing in new viewers: The best way in the world, word of mouth and links (i.e. FREE). I found this site from a link at Mac OS Rumors http://www.macosrumors.com , and I have hooked half the geeks here up with/., and now they are junkies who have passed the URL on to others.
Keeping viewers coming back: Two words, ya'll, frequent updates. If you have a site and you only update once a month, unless it is a really really hot topic those people who have visited once or twice won't be back again.
Know the audience: Well, look at this board and at the polls that are done, and look at the articles posted at/. . You can see that the vast majority of the viewers here are computer savvy, male, and based on a poll I recall seeing the majority are in the continental United States.
Another way to make money on the web, keep it original and free. By original I don't mean something that no one else has done, I mean your own content. Sure there are sites that syndicate their content, but why should an advertiser pay you higher CPM's/CPC's for content that isn't yours? Why should a company or person pay for a sponsorship on a site that frames someone else's efforts? And I suggest free because if you are selling the info/files/images chances are someone is giving them away at another URL or in a news group. Of course after a while if there are a huge number of sites all offering the same services/content the value will go down, but those sites that make efforts to stand out will make the best buckage.
Just my 2 bits:) Take with as many grains of salt as you like.
Yeah, man, we're in the midst of trying to set up 20 486's into a beowulf cluster to use as our Quake2 server. They're all set up with upgraded network cards, all we need now is the time to configure the little buggers.
A software company in our building that was bought out left mountains of CPU's and monitors for the taking. It was a geek feeding frenzy when word got out. I reached for a hard drive and nearly pulled back a stump.
Slashdot Mirror
It stands for "Crazy Young Burnouts Eating Rice".
Little known fact, it was origionally going to be "Computor Logistics In Trouble Or Regulating Information Systems"...
Correct me if I am wrong, but if you are a reporter wouldn't you want to talk to people who know what they are talking about if you intend to write an article? I take it Mr. Cringely would think someone working in marketing would be a better person to ask about computer security than the people who are actually in charge of security. Or how about asking Walt the school janitor how to teach a class on physics?
To quote Ambrose Bierce: "Reporter, n. A writer who guesses his way to the truth and dispels it with a tempest of words"
... and when you come in, though. I signed on with M1 when they were still "Highway One", while I was living in Watertown. Back then there was hardly anyone on my node and I was getting 120-200k downloads from a decent server. When I downloaded the Myth demo when it was first available (a 40mb file) I did it in less than 10 min.
When I was in that town, since it was one of the first to have access, they were getting the newest upgrades and well maintained lines. Now I live in Arlington, and I may have to cancel my M1 account until they make some changes. The set up in this town is really new but they just loaded it up with members, so download speeds and browsing is about the same as a 33.6. The other day I downloaded a system update from one of Apple's servers and the best I got was 4k. I mean, even when Apple's FTP site is way overloaded I used to get better speeds than that.
For $50 a month, 4-10k download is really not worth it.
Other than that, I have really liked my cable access with M1. Some of their tech people are about as sharp as a marble, but the few times that I have had to deal with them they have been polite and take care of things well.
You are the only one that looks like a waste paper basket.
;)
I am the proud papa of a 4 month old girl, and when she is old enough to go to school, and IF someone thinks they are making her wear a *!$&!! bar code they will be sorely mistaken, and severly beaten.
Now, don't get me wrong, I think schools should have better security. I went to middle school in Roxbury (part of Boston) and high school right in the center of the city. We had cases of people (teachers and students) getting shot, stabbed, beaten, etc. Hell, we even had a girl willingly gang banged in the mens room. BUT, that does not make the turning of students into "numbers" or some crap like that Okie-dokie. Metal detectors, sure. ID's with a picture, fine. But a bloody Barcode?!?!?!
...have a word that, IMO, best describe Dvorak. That word, and please pardon any spelling error, is "pillock".
I would as soon accept his opinion or advice on computer related issues as tips on lovemaking from a eunuch.
Sorry for my being obnoxious, everyone. I just really have never read anything by this guy that has seemed the least bit interesting and in many cases his "facts" are opinion.
Can we say tedious?
.gov, .mil, anyone who can spend $150 for a hammer) and make yourself look as good as you can. And nothing perks up the American public's ears like patriotism. .gov or .mil or whatever, it makes them look very good in the eye's of the public (they are helping our government fight back against those cyber terrorists) and in the eye's of investors.
:) . But those naughty boys and girls at Attrition.org are offering this information to anyone while Anti Online only offers the information to people who would never ever ever ever think of using that information illegally.
With me now, people: T-D-OUS!!
Can I get an a-MEN from you now!!
Seriously though, this Anti Online thing is such a gas, but is becoming such a bore.
John How-ever-you-spell-it has a site which is also a business. When you are a business the idea is to make money, and make money well. OK, now, how to make money in the computer/internet security arena? Two simple ways; get those people with the bucks to back you and lose the competition.
Q) How do you get those with the big bucks, when corporate America is scared out of it's Armani suits by even the word "Hacker"?
A) First, start offering your information and special privileges to those with some of the biggest budgets (i.e.
With Anti Online only offering it's information database to
Q) How do you lose the competition?
A) Look at what has been going on. Any site which offers the same or similar information is being systematically hunted and if possible, eventually, killed. I mean, I'm willing to bet that much of the texts and exploits found at Attrition.org are the same as what is found at Anti Online (although I'm sure that the picture of the guy who hunted Santa ain't there! Nearly busted a gut on that
Now, I may be off here by miles, but if I wanted to make money from information the best way to do that is to sell that information. So I start off giving the information out to a select few for free, then when there is no one else (or no one else who is any good) offering the same information I start selling it to those who are willing to pay. And if you are the only game in town, well, you charge what you like.
In all honesty, I have nothing against John or Anti Online per se. As a matter of fact, that site and it's "guide to mostly harmless hacking" were where I got my feet wet with Linux and the inner workings of computers. It was with that sites information that I made my current choice of Linux flavor, Debian.
But his actions over the last six months have really begun to bug the hell out of me, and to make his motives suspect.
Whatever his rational, IMO he would be much better off just sticking to being an information repository (open to everyone, I might add) and being an information portal. Leave the cracker chasing to the feds, and leave the competition alone.
Actually, if I were the owner of Attrition, I'd do one plain and simple thing. Just say "John, you and me, in a ring, no gloves, no ref. Whoever is left standing keeps the site up, whoever is knocked out pulls the site". But then again I am a barbarian, so I'll just drag my knuckles to the kitchen for a beer and shut up.
English to German to English to German :)
"After the page you look above, are not current not attainable. The web site could find technical difficulties, or their data base search routine adjustments preserve, around you to adjust to have."
Sorry, but as long as I'm going to try to view that story with Babelfish (and then have the page not able to load) I figured I'd mess around.
"This marajuana went on the right to my header text, Geck. Stop this bonggehen!"
"Heeeeeeell know."
yes yes yes, I intended to write "no".
From now on I shall withhold comment until after morning when sobriety has shown it's ugly face.
But, I have to say that I have very little pity for the kid.
How many times have you seen sites where they say "Oh, the files are not here on my servers. I only link to them." Like Lycos and MusicSeek say that they don't have the files there, that they only link to them after you search. You know what? I don't have to leave those sites to download files which are copyrighted, I put in my keyword and search. As far as the user is concerned, the files are downloaded right from those sites. This whole "I'm only linking" bull is no excuse, if you link to the file deliberately or help someone obtain illegal product you are in the wrong and you are an accomplice to the distribution of "stolen" material.
IMHO it's like giving someone the name and address of a fence and letting them use my phone to make the deal and my garage for the purchase. Would the cops give a rats rectum if I was not the one who stole the product? Heeeeeeell know. To me, this is the same type of situation. This kid (and don't get me wrong, I do pity the dude, just not much) was knowingly directing visitors to copyrighted files.
Now, if I link to a site that then links to a site for downloading an illegal file, sure, there is no reason to sue. But none of the sites which my sites link to direct the user to anything illegal, and I check that sort of thing. If a webmaster wants to, hell, be my guest. But if you link to illegal shit and you do it on purpose, and someone sues, busts, or otherwise comes after your butt, you bring the karma on yourself.
Anyhow, rant rant rant, I'll shut up and drink my beer.
But don't products used by .mil and .gov have to be something called "orange booked" or something like that?
I really haven't followed that sort of thing, but I could swear I read something about a list of prducts that are OK'd for use by them.
Now, the toys THIS cat creates is insane. I think his microwave gun is not shown right now, but this dude is mighty.
Heavens! Now my terrorist days are over, thanks to might of the Mighty Secret Service and those meddlesome kids! Curses! Foiled again!
;)
("Please try to keep posts on topic". Yeah, if you ask nicely it might happen
http://www.cs.duke.edu/~dsb/vindaloo.txt
... but doesn't the smile on that dude make you think he is about to go for your jugular?
He looks like he's a few megs short of a gig in his cabeza to boot.
I didn't say that was how we were sending email. What was sent was a first draft of a legal document, which required the use of several types of formating.
See, now this is what I'm on about. Why do you feel the need to be all jumping on my case? I mean for real, I know that there are a lot of morons on the web, right? If there was a better option (i.e. more commonly used) we'd be all over it.
And not without reason, certainly. OK, here is another problem with a Microsoft product, big shock. Hotmail had a "back door", no kidding.
:)
BUT, that does not give anyone the right to be pricks.
Someone I work with was just flamed by another person to whom my co worker had sent a document in an M$ format. The recipient was a Linux user, and the only geeks my co worker has encountered were me and the geeks here (i.e. some laid back MFs)
For many of us there is no alternative, we have to be compatible with other businesses. Yes, there are products that will open Word/Excel documents, but going back again is not always easy. Any of you ever try to open a Claris document in Word 98 on a Mac? It gets all buggered up.
Spreading the Linux/Unix gospel would be _much_ easier without people being smeg heads about it when someone uses a different platform. You want a Mac? Be my guest. You think Win98/NT is the bees knees? Knock yourself out. You want a powerful, stable
All we do when we flame people for standing up for M$ or using their products is make the Linux/Unix community look bad, like childish, bad tempered simpletons. It is counter productive to flame, mail bomb, or crack someone for using or liking another product.
Here is a neat idea. Before you write that flame, pretend that person is right in front of you. Or better yet, remember that it makes YOU look bad.
*rant mode cancel*
Sorry, I just don't understand why people who would otherwise be perfectly polite and cool suddenly become total a**holes over really stupid smeg.
blah blah blah, I'll shut up and drink my beer
got my Mountain Dew, PIL in my CD... I'm ready to rock and roll.
Thanks for the input!
But I do have an old Mac IIci that was "beefed" up (remember when 24mb of RAM was so big your friends would all come over to dig your set up?). Maybe I'll tinker with FreeBSD 68k, and maybe try it on one of the x86 boxes here at work.
Not to start a debate or flame war, but for anyone who's used *BSD and Linux why do you prefer one over the other? Or the particular distribution of either that you use? I've only had experience with Debian (which I have read is more secure and I use more often)and RH (the first one I tried, mega mega easy to install and configure), and a weeeeeee bit on LinuxPPC.
Blaming IS managers is not entirely fair. Many do still have to answer to someone higher up, and if the CEO of a company wants all his sales weasels on Win9x... *shrug*
Blaming the sales weasels who open Word files with macros, now that is more reasonable.
I thought I had read something about this but for the MP2K and the Pilot?
I could be wrong. Mountain Dew has been known to cause hallucinations if you drink it by the gallon =)
"Well, when I try to reboot my underwear, it just gives me a wedgie."
"What OS are you running on your underware, sir?"
"Microsoft Windows for Cotton Blends"
"Well, sir, the only solution is to change your underwear to MS-NTLongJohns"
"But it's the middle of August, and we're in the middle of a heat wave. Also, I don't think I need all of that fabric"
"I realize that Sir. But the NTLongJohns are the only version of MS-underpants what don't give you a wedgie. And you're much less likely to suffer the terrible blue-ball of death with these than with the MS-Underoos95. The NTLongJohns also come with a convenient back-orifice flap for examining core-dumps."
"Wow, that does sound... oh ohhhh ohhh S*&T!!!"
"Sir? Sir? Are you still there, Sir?"
"Je-ZUS! My underware were still connected to the phone line... I think my wife just faxed my willie to Canada...."
"Oh dear..."
"What the fsck?? Now my underwear's crashed and my nuts have turned blue!"
But this all just seems so screwy. I mean, sure they have plenty of cash so they can buy the best crack, but that would still not explain why the US gov would pull some smeg like this. What they are talking about is tantamount to reading your posted (USPS) mail (which they would /never/ do *snicker*) . Most Americans would not stand for that, so what makes them think that they could get away with it?
:-?
Honestly, I think President Trouser Drop and VP Gore (a man so boring he's been voted more tedious airline in flight magazines) are up to something.
Think about it. Gore wants to be president, but he is so mind numbingly uninteresting and is almost, but not quite, entirely without anything which could be construe as charisma and all the charm of lint. His last bid for president was comical at best. So how does he get to be top banana? I mean, Bill went after the GenX vote with success, but Gore would have no chance there with all Tippers efforts at censoring the music industry. So what does he do? He goes after the Geek vote. I mean, he did create the internet, didn't he?
Now, he also wants to distance himself politically from Bill while keeping presidential backing. Not that many people could imagine Gore finding new and better ways to store tobacco products, but he has to make voters see that he is his Own Man. So he can't go dissing the president, but he has to do something that will distinguish himself from Bill. So what do they do? They hatch this gig where the federal government starts talking about email taxes, snooping email, tracking you while you are on the internet. You know, things they would never do without telling us first (*guffaw*snort*shortle*).
Then, who steps up to bat for the geeks, but our Great Savior, a man who we owe more to than Tim B. Lee, a man who will stand up for what he believes in, a man of integrity. Yes, HE will fight to make sure that the internet remains free. Free? Free how? Who cares? He'll keep those pesky feds from reading our email. And what happens? Election day, geeks en masse turn out to vote in greater numbers than the opening of a new Star Trek/Wars movie, and Captain Charisma is our next president.
Well, I've ranted enough. I have to adjust the tinfoil on my head to transmit my brain waves to Pluto, and finish reading this book on how aliens, Masons, and circus midgets were all behind the Kennedy assassinations.
BTW, I do apologize to anyone who reads this who likes Bill and Al. I just find this whole thing rather stupid. That, and I don't trust any politician as far as I can spit a rat
and NOT hit a portal or a search engine, so I must disagree. You may not have seen any of the internet advertising trade rags, but look at http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/ctf519.htm for a good article on the subject.
/coming/ to the site? How do you get those who have been to the site to come back regularly? How do you know your audience?
/., and now they are junkies who have passed the URL on to others.
/. . You can see that the vast majority of the viewers here are computer savvy, male, and based on a poll I recall seeing the majority are in the continental United States.
:) Take with as many grains of salt as you like.
Unless you can spend the $$$ on an inside sales team to bring in the ad dollars another portal is a bad idea. Most internet users have become savvy enough to not use them OR already have their favorite and pass that information on to those friends/family who are newbies. If you look at how many portals have sprung up over the last year only to vanish or be abandoned, you'll see that it is a lot more than Database + CGI scripts = Money (and marketing). OK, so you market like crazy, bring in the eyeballs, but how do you keep them at the site and keep them
/. is a prime example of a site which could be/is a success.
Marketing/bringing in new viewers: The best way in the world, word of mouth and links (i.e. FREE). I found this site from a link at Mac OS Rumors http://www.macosrumors.com , and I have hooked half the geeks here up with
Keeping viewers coming back: Two words, ya'll, frequent updates. If you have a site and you only update once a month, unless it is a really really hot topic those people who have visited once or twice won't be back again.
Know the audience: Well, look at this board and at the polls that are done, and look at the articles posted at
Another way to make money on the web, keep it original and free. By original I don't mean something that no one else has done, I mean your own content. Sure there are sites that syndicate their content, but why should an advertiser pay you higher CPM's/CPC's for content that isn't yours? Why should a company or person pay for a sponsorship on a site that frames someone else's efforts?
And I suggest free because if you are selling the info/files/images chances are someone is giving them away at another URL or in a news group.
Of course after a while if there are a huge number of sites all offering the same services/content the value will go down, but those sites that make efforts to stand out will make the best buckage.
Just my 2 bits
Yeah, man, we're in the midst of trying to set up 20 486's into a beowulf cluster to use as our Quake2 server. They're all set up with upgraded network cards, all we need now is the time to configure the little buggers.
A software company in our building that was bought out left mountains of CPU's and monitors for the taking. It was a geek feeding frenzy when word got out. I reached for a hard drive and nearly pulled back a stump.